Art of photography.



J, J. JOHNSON;

ART 0E PHOTOGRAPHY.

APPLICATION FILED 51111.29, 1908.

935,?6-, Patentdfict. 5, 1909.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1- 20%? J. J. JOHNSON. ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY. f APILIOATION FILED JAILZQ, 1906.

935 760. Patented Oct. 5, 1909.

- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2. F20 M 17 20 a v W/TNESSE MW, INVENTOR.

TJNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH J. JOHNSON, OF DAYTON, OHIO.

ART or rnoroeanrnv.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed January 29, 1906. Serial No. 298,560.

To all-whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOSEPH J. JoHNsoN, citizen of the United States, residing at No. 28 East L street, Dayton, county of Montgomery, State of Ohio, have invented a new and useful Improvement in the Art of Photography.

The invention relates to a photographing device suspended from a kite line, the object oi the invention being to make an exposure 0 sired ieight from the ground.

To this end my invention consists in a device for ,o crating the shutter of a photographing evice suspended from'a kite line, by the use of electro-magnets attached to the lens board. And also in an improved means of determining the exact position of the camera at the time of exposure. And further in an improved means of suspendlug the camera from the kite line substantially as hereinafter described.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of t-hisspecification, in which similar figures and letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all views.

Figure 1 is a front view of thy improved photographing device. Fig. 2 isa longitudinal sectional detail view of the leveling device. .Fig. 3, is a cross sectional view on the line B. B. of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a side View of the electro-magnetsshowing the metal bar attached to the shutter trip. Fig. 5 is a side view of the entire device.

Number 1 in the drawing represents the shutter trip to which is attached the metal bar which extends across'the face of the electro magnet 3, as shown in Fig. 4. When electrical connection is made the metal bar 2 is attracted toward the magnet? causing the shutter to operate.

Number 6 represents a leveling device which necessitates the camera being in an exactly level position before electrical connection will be made. This device is shown in Figs. 2 and 3;

Number 29 is a glass tube inclosed at both.

ends by the woodsfiber caps 28 through which extend the binding posts 7 bet-ween'which the liquid 30, preferably quicksilver, makes connection when the camera becomes level.

Number 31 are partitions in the tube 29 with openings 33 at the top to prevent a vacuum in any particular chamber, and 32 are openings in the bottom of the partitions end and to the extended end of a hotographic plate or film at any vde-l hanger 14.

brackets 19, said brackets are fastened to rangement affords a steady How of the liquid."

The level 6 is pivoted between the brackets 8 which are attached to the bottom of the camera. The spring 10 is a flexible connection attached to the wire support 11 at one clip 9 on the level 6 atthe other end.

It will be seen that if the front of the camera was changed from the horizontal position as shown in Fig. 5 by sliding the hanger 14 through the clamp 15 in the lower end of the lower part of the ball and socket joint and fastening it with the set screw 22, the wire su 'Jort 11 which is hinged in brackets 23 won still retain its vertical position by the weight of the two electric wires 5', which extend downward to the electric batteries at the/ground and at the same time the level 6 which is pivoted in brackets 8 would-becarried with the movement of the wire support and thus the binding posts 7 would always be at the highest part of the level-and directly over the air chamber in the level Thewi'ies 5' are of the twin type and extend upward' from the electric batteries at the ground and through the wire support .11 where they are divided and attached to the binding posts 12. Electrical connections are made in series through the binding posts 12277 and 4: as shown by wire 5 in Fig.v

which in'practice are clamped on the holding line of the kite to prevent the entire apparatus from sliding down said line while in use.

24 is the upper part of the ball and socket joint 16 and extends through the supporting bar 17 where it is threaded and secured to said bar by nut 18. The object to be attained by the ball and socket joint is to make it possible to turn'the camera to any desired direc tion and by tightening the set screw 21 to hold the ball and socket rigid while in operation. In the lower end of the lower part of the ball and socket joint 16 tl'iero is a clamp 15 through which slides graduated The. hanger 14- is hinged in arm 13 which in turn is fastened to the upper part of the camera as shown in Fig. 59 By Patentedpct. 5, 1909.

this arrangement of parts the cainew will hang in practically a level position. It will be readily seen that if the camera \va tilted up or down a l. eilher side the liquid 30 in l h'o level would flow to the lower end of the level and the air in the level to the higher end, llius milking it impossible to get electrical connection unlil lhe camera had assumed a level position and both of the binding posts were in conl'act wilh the liquid in the level which forms part of the cleclric circuit. By ihis means the electric circuit is auloniaticl ally broken when the camera is out of level and closed when the camera assumes a level position. 1

in making photographic exposures with this apparatus, 1 prolzeed as follows: taking a single kite for example. The kilo being made last lo lhe free end ol lhc kite line at the winding drum, lhe kill. is now starl'cd upward and allowed to carry with it upproximalely one thousand feel of line. The supporling bar l? is now made last to the line by closing the clamps 20. The hanger l! is placed in the recess 15 and is held rigid in the posilion desired by tightening the set screw 22. The ball is now turned in the socket until the object to be photographed is in front of the lens and secured by set screw 21. The free ends ol the twin wires 5 are now passed upward through the wire support ll, connections being made to binding posts 12. The kilo is now slarlcd upward again by an assistant who allows the kilo line to unwind and at the same lime lhe operator carries the reel on which is wound the wires for carrying the electric current and electric batteries keeping thcindireclly under the camera as it rises, and at the same time allowin the wires to unwind untilthe desired height is attained. The operator now watches the camera until it becomes still when the electric butt-on is pushed and the exposure is made. Having anchored the eseyeo winding drum lhe assistant new places a grooved wheel with a suitable handle on the kile line at winding drum and by walking along under the line the camera will be brought to the ground the plale holder changed and a relurn of the assislanl' lo the winding drum wilh the grooved wheel orer the kite line as before will. again cause the camera to be carried to the former position. By this mode of operation it is possible to make nlu'ilogranlnc exposures at a height of from four hundred to eight hundred feet in about live to twelve minutes.

Having thus described my invention, what- I claim as new and desire to secure by Letl'crs Patent of the United States is.

l. in the combination, with a kite line, a

supporting bar secured to said line, parts 'l orining a ball and socket joint and secured to said bar, a graduated hanger connected wilh said ball and socket joint and hinged in ln-ackel's which are secured to an man, said arin being fastened to the top of camera subslanl'ially as specified.

.2. in a photographic apparatus secured to a kilo line. a leveling device in the level of which is a suitable liquid for carrying the electric current and forming part of the elcclrio circuit for operating the camera shullxer substantially as specified.

In a photographic apparatus secured to a kite line a hinged wire support, a leveling device conncclcd in the electric current between said hinged wire support and the elec l'rcinagin-ls, both the support and the level having suilablc binding posts for securing the terminal of wires for carrylng the electric currcnl from ballerics at the ground for operating the mnera shutter, substantially 

